Fast-track superintendent search raised concerns
- School board launched a fast-track search to replace the superintendent amid parental and educator scrutiny. - Timeline compresses candidate vetting into weeks, reducing public review and opportunity for community input. - Parents and stakeholders are demanding clearer outreach and transparency; read details in Patch’s coverage (patch.com).
Palo Alto Unified’s school board is trying to hire a new superintendent by June, compressing a districtwide search into roughly 10 weeks. (paloaltoonline.com) The board first moved on Feb. 23, when it told staff to seek proposals from five to seven search firms and skipped a full request-for-proposals process because staff said a solicitation would move faster. The board chose McPherson & Jacobson on March 30 after hearing from three firms. (pausd.org 1) (pausd.org 2) Community input opened later than the firm search. The district posted tentative dates on April 1, set online surveys for April 13 through May 1, and scheduled in-person sessions between April 20 and May 1. (pausd.org) That sequence left parents and educators with a narrow window to weigh in before the board’s planned June hire. Palo Alto Online reported that the board approved a timeline on April 16 calling for a June selection while also promising outreach to parents, teachers and other stakeholders. (paloaltoonline.com) The search is unfolding after a rapid series of leadership changes at the top of the district. Superintendent Don Austin stepped down after a closed-session meeting on Feb. 20, ending an eight-year run in Palo Alto. (edsource.org) (paloaltoonline.com) Austin’s exit agreement drew scrutiny of its own. A settlement document obtained by Palo Alto Online shows the district agreed to pay him $421,272 after his separation, while the Palo Alto Daily Post reported the total package at $596,802 when continuing salary and other payments are included. (paloaltoonline.com 1) (paloaltoonline.com 2) (padailypost.com) The district then cycled through two temporary leaders in less than a month. Trent Bahadursingh briefly served as acting superintendent, and the board appointed Human Resources director Herb Espiritu to the role on March 19 after Bahadursingh’s departure. (thecampanile.org) (go.boarddocs.com) Board President Shounak Dharap and the four other elected trustees will make the hire. The district’s board page says agendas for regular meetings are posted 72 hours in advance and special-meeting agendas 24 hours in advance, which sets the formal windows for public review as the search moves toward a vote. (pausd.org) The district says it will keep posting timelines, meeting dates and stakeholder-input details on its superintendent-search page. For families who want a slower process, the next test is whether those updates come early enough to shape the board’s June decision. (pausd.org)
